OUR READERS

MARCUS KWAME ANDERSON 

Marcus Kwame Anderson is an illustrator and fine artist. He is the Eisner Award–winning co-creator of The Black Panther Party, the co-creator of the series Snow Daze, and the illustrator of Cash & Carrie. His most recent book, Big Jim and The White Boy—a collaboration with David F. Walker published by Ten Speed Press—was nominated for an Eisner Award."

NELL STOKES  

Nell Stokes is a native of Montgomery Alabama. She came to the Capital
District in 1963. Her experiences with Jim Crow laws in the south have been the topic of many
talks she has given to schools and community organizations. Her passion for voting rights led to
active involvement in the League of Women Voters, the NAACP, and service as an Albany
County Election Inspector. Nell is both an activist and a volunteer. She created the Famous
Black American Essay Contest for students, tutored with the Wizards Wardrobe and volunteered
with the Giffen Elementary School’s 15 Love Book Club. The Albany Institute of History and
Art highlighted “Nell Stokes: Stories Education Advocate” December 17, 1923 – December 23,
2024. An oral interview with Nell is on the Institutes website www.albanyinstitute.org. She is
also featured in a documentary “Journey to Freedom” Honoring Veterans of the Civil Rights
Movement. It can be accessed at siena.edu/journeytofreedom. Nell is known to give unselfishly
of her time, talent and treasure. She says her faith sustains her as God uses her gifts to His glory.

CJAY PHILIP 

An Albany native, CJay Philip moved to NYC where she met her husband Winston and built a had a successful career on Broadway in Big the Musical, Street Corner Symphony, and Hairspray, and toured nationally in Dreamgirls and Legally Blonde. She is also a playwright, with works such as The Fab Show—a history of Black artists on Broadway—and Voices of Carmen, a musical adaptation of the classic opera reimagined with pop, rap, R&B, and musical theatre.

Cjay is the award-winning Artistic Director of Dance & Bmore, a Baltimore-based ensemble blending live music, movement, and spoken word. In addition to creating onstage fusions, Dance & Bmore designs intergenerational community programs that strengthen connections across all ages.

Her work has earned numerous honors, including the Baltimore Social Innovators Award, the Mac MacLure Spirit of Leadership Award, a Kennedy Center Citizen Artist Fellowship, and most recently, the 2024 Tony Award for Excellence in Theatre Education.

DAVID TRAYNHAM

Pastor David’s journey of service began in 1990, when he and his wife, Brenda, founded New Horizons Christian Church with a vision to bridge the gap between church and community. In 2014, while continuing to pastor, he established ALERT Partnership Inc.—the Albany Law Enforcement Resolution Team—to strengthen relationships between residents and law enforcement at all levels. Since 2020, he has dedicated himself fully to this mission, while continuing his weekly virtual ministry.

Most recently, Pastor David launched David Traynham Engagement Strategies, an initiative that teaches effective community–police engagement through modern technology.

His leadership and advocacy have been recognized with numerous awards, including the FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award (2018) and the FBI Director’s Exceptional Public Service Award (2020). He has also served on multiple local boards and task forces addressing housing, equity, public safety, opioid response, and community development.

A lifelong Albany resident, Pastor David remains committed to advancing righteousness, justice, and peace in the Capital Region. He and his wife, Brenda, have been married since 1984.

PATRICK WHITE

Patrick White is an actor, director, producer, and tireless advocate for theatre in the Capital Region. Since discovering The Glass Menagerie in 10th grade, he has worked on hundreds of productions and now reviews and writes on theatre for The Daily Gazette, Metroland Now, and Nippertown.

Attending over 300 plays each year, Patrick serves as President of the Capital Region Festival of Theatre and co-founded Harbinger Theatre, which has staged 17 regional premieres since its 2021 debut with Lucas Hnath’s The Christians. Harbinger’s next production, Swing State by Rebecca Gilman, runs November 14–23 at Sand Lake Center for the Arts.

His favorite playwright is Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, this year’s Pulitzer Prize winner for Drama with Purpose.

JANIYAH 

Janiyah is a student at Wizard's Wardrobe. She is in the second grade. She likes reading and writing and putting on nails.